Aiden took another step forward. “I will marry you. Just stay, please.” James’s eyes widened. “Aiden,” he said sharply, stepping forward. “What are you doing?” Aiden didn’t even look at him. James stared at his friend in disbelief. He wanted to grab him by the shoulder and shake some sense into him, but he held himself back. Aiden had just come back from the brink of death, and the last thing James wanted was to push him into another emotional outburst. Racheal, meanwhile, looked as though the floor had disappeared beneath her feet. “You’ll marry me?” she whispered. Aiden nodded. She searched his face, looking for some sign that he meant it. But instead of happiness, uncertainty crept into her expression. “You’re only saying this because you pity me,” Racheal said, her voice breaking slightly. “You don’t love me. You never have.” Aiden drew a slow breath. He knew she was right. “I don’t love you,” he admitted. Racheal’s face tightened, and she looked away.
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